[[Article II, North Carolina Constitution#Section 6|Article 2, Section 6]] of the [[North Carolina Constitution]] states: Each Senator, at the time of his election, shall be not less than 25 years of age, shall be a qualified voter of the State, and shall have resided in the State as a citizen for two years and in the district for which he is chosen for one year immediately preceding his election.

[[Article II, North Carolina Constitution#Section 6|Article 2, Section 6]] of the [[North Carolina Constitution]] states: Each Senator, at the time of his election, shall be not less than 25 years of age, shall be a qualified voter of the State, and shall have resided in the State as a citizen for two years and in the district for which he is chosen for one year immediately preceding his election.

==Impact of redistricting==

==Impact of redistricting==

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::''See also: [[Redistricting in North Carolina]]''

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::''See also: [[Redistricting in North Carolina]] and [[Ballotpedia:"Game-changers" in the 2012 state legislative elections#North Carolina|North Carolina Game Changers]]''

If the GOP-approved map withstands legal scrutiny, political experts have estimated that there could be as many as 27 or 28 reliably safe Republican seats in the [[North Carolina State Senate|Senate]].<ref>[http://www.governing.com/blogs/politics/redistrictings-impact-state-legislatures-2012.html ''Governing'' "Redistricting’s Impact on State Legislatures in 2012," September 14, 2011]</ref>

If the GOP-approved map withstands legal scrutiny, political experts have estimated that there could be as many as 27 or 28 reliably safe Republican seats in the [[North Carolina State Senate|Senate]].<ref>[http://www.governing.com/blogs/politics/redistrictings-impact-state-legislatures-2012.html ''Governing'' "Redistricting’s Impact on State Legislatures in 2012," September 14, 2011]</ref>

Campaign contributions

This chart shows how many candidates ran for state senate in North Carolina in past years and the cumulative amount of campaign contributions in state senate races, including contributions in both primary and general election contests. All figures come from Follow The Money.[1]

Year

Number of candidates

Total contributions

2010

137

$18,614,595

2008

115

$15,991,201

2006

99

$14,697,182

2004

137

$13,819,791

2002

172

$12,996,012

In 2010, the candidates for state senate raised a total of $18,614,595 in campaign contributions. The top 10 donors were: [2]

Donor

Amount

North Carolina Republican Party

$2,171,725

North Carolina Democratic Party

$1,851,252

North Carolina Democratic Party Caucus

$562,126

Bordeaux, Frankie L

$477,675

North Carolina Republican Senate Caucus

$360,908

North Carolina Democratic Party Senate Caucus

$350,810

North Carolina Republican Party Senatorial Trust

$245,781

Jackson, Brent

$221,410

Goolsby, Thomas C

$169,316

North Carolina Medical Society

$154,500

Qualifications

Article 2, Section 6 of the North Carolina Constitution states: Each Senator, at the time of his election, shall be not less than 25 years of age, shall be a qualified voter of the State, and shall have resided in the State as a citizen for two years and in the district for which he is chosen for one year immediately preceding his election.